What activating Will Campbell, Milton Williams means for the Patriots

5 days ago 2

The stage had already been set, but on Sunday it finally became official. On the eve of their regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots activated offensive tackle Will Campbell and defensive tackle Milton Williams to their 53-man roster. Both had spent the last few weeks on injured reserve.

With the two now back in the mix, let’s assess what the moves mean for the Patriots.

OT Will Campbell: Activated to 53-man roster

Blindside protector is back: The Patriots invested the fourth overall selection in this year’s draft in Will Campbell, and he immediately was inserted at the left tackle spot. The rookie has not looked back since, and despite the occasional teachable moment has provided a high quality of play as quarterback Drake Maye’s blindside protector before hurting his knee in Week 12 against Cincinnati. To his credit, backup Vederian Lowe also played decently in his four games filling in for Campbell, but the youngster’s upside and athletic ability simply trumps what the more experienced Lowe has to offer. The Patriots are better with him in the lineup.

Starting-5 almost back together again: Campbell returning puts New England one step closer to finally fielding its regular starting offensive line again. However, that will not yet happen against the Dolphins: left guard Jared Wilson remains in concussion protocol and has been ruled out for Sunday; in his place, Ben Brown will make his fourth start of the season and second playing next to Campbell.

Getting the feet wet: Campbell returned to practice on Wednesday, and was a participant for all three sessions this week plus Saturday’s walkthrough. Passing all the appropriate checks along the way, he has now been cleared for a return to game action — something that is expected to take place versus Miami. This, in turn, gives the young lineman a chance to get some live game reps in before the Patriots’ first playoff game the following weekend or, less likely, the weekend after. That, of course, is also true for Milton Williams.

Game day shuffle: With Campbell back on the 53-man roster, the Patriots now have five offensive tackles on their active team. They will not be able to make all of them active for game day, however. Campbell, of course, is a game day lock, as is right-side starter Morgan Moses. The spots behind them belong to the aforementioned Vederian Lowe and, based on the last few weeks, Thayer Munford Jr. However, with only so many spots available, the latter might be on the fringe and could possibly join Marcus Bryant on the list of healthy scratches depending on the situation. That said, it would not be a surprise if New England played it safe against Miami and went with four OTs.

DT Milton Williams: Activated to 53-man roster

Improved defensive tackle depth: New England’s interior defensive line struggled with personnel stability over the last few weeks, which makes Williams’ return all the more important. With him back in the fold, the Patriots now have a group of Williams, Christian Barmore, Khyiris Tonga, Cory Durden and Eric Gregory on the 53-man team, plus Leonard Taylor and Fabien Lovett on the practice squad. Tonga, however, is out this week because of a foot injury (Taylor has been elevated to take his spot on the game day squad). Williams being present, however, softens the blow of Tonga’s absence.

Trickle-down effect: Ever since joining the Patriots on a four-year, $104 million free agency deal in March, Williams has been a crucial part of the team’s defensive operation. In fact, he has a “rising tide lifting all boats” presence along the defensive line: with him in the mix, the team as a whole instantly becomes more disruptive against the run and from a pass rush perspective.

Fearsome twosome back together again: The individual player to benefit the most from Williams’ comeback might be fellow interior lineman Christian Barmore. Over the last five weeks, Barmore still had some flashes but teams were able to hone in on him particularly in the running game; as the biggest problem for opposing offenses up front, he was treated accordingly. Now, however, that problem has taken on a new dimension and again forces teams to pick their poison between Williams and Barmore.

DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr: Waived from 53-man roster

Subject to waivers: Just a week after getting signed to New England’s active roster, Pharms Jr. has been removed from it again. That process happened via the waiver system, meaning that he is subject to being claimed by any team now. Only if he passes through the wire will he become a free agent able to choose his landing spot — including returning to New England.

Practice squad candidate: The Patriots retaining Pharms Jr. via their practice squad if he clears waivers would make plenty of sense. He does provide experienced depth at a position that suffered some losses over the last few weeks, and once the playoffs start will be eligible to be elevated to the game day roster again: after three elevations in the regular season, the count will reset come postseason time, meaning he could be brought up again to bolster the depth behind Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.

Still getting paid: Even though Pharms Jr. will neither be on the Patriots’ roster nor their practice squad for the game against Miami, the NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement ensures that he is still getting paid as if on the 53-man roster. This means that he will soon get a paycheck worth $57,222 for Week 18.

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